On July 1, the state Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) announced that it had received a large public records request from The Seattle Times seeking information on all members of state retirement systems (including retirees and active members) for the period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. Many city and other local government employees are part of state-managed retirement systems like PERS, PSERS, and LEOFF and will likely have their information included in the public records disclosure.

DRS plans to provide the requested information on August 15. In their records request filing, The Seattle Times states that it regularly requests such information, uses it to inform their reporting on government accountability, and has taken steps to protect the information once it is in their custody.

DRS has determined that the following information on retirement system members and retirees is subject to the Public Records Act and will be included in the disclosure:

• Full name
• City, state/province, country, and zip/postal code
• Date of birth
• Retirement system/plan
• Date of entry
• Service credit
• Annual salary
• Average final compensation
• Date of retirement withdrawal
• Monthly retirement benefit
• Retirement type
• Employee transmittal code and description
• Employer name, city, state and zip code

No action is required from retirement system members or local governments at this time. The agency’s announcement does outline how individuals can seek a court order to prevent DRS’s disclosure of their own records in certain circumstances, but the department cannot advise individuals on whether their case will be successful or whether a court order will be entered in time to prevent disclosure on August 15.

Cities and employees can contact DRS at 844-704-6780 or drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov if you want additional information or have questions about the public records request.